Jan Steen’s paintings touch the viewer directly. The infectious humour and recognizable characters are enormously appealing. He painted with visible ease and his pictures exude a sense of energy.
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Proverbial
Cheerful paintings of disorderly families gave rise to the saying ‘a Jan Steen household.’
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Comic painter
Jan Steen is without a doubt the most humorous Dutch artist.
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Keen observer
Steen’s characterization of the personages in his paintings is spot on. Moreover, no one could depict human behaviour more aptly than Steen.
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Hard-working buffoon
Jan Steen ran a brewery for many years. In addition, he managed to produce an impressive oeuvre counting hundreds of paintings.
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Instruction and entertainment
While Steen’s paintings are entertaining they often also contain a wise lesson. Steen portrays human folly and its consequences without coming across as pedantic.
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Self-mockery
Steen often included himself in his compositions, mostly in questionable roles, for example as a drunken rake. Thanks to his self-portrait in the Rijksmuseum, he is easily recognizable by his squinting eyes and large fleshy nose.
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Smutty humour
Many of Steen's paintings are about intoxication and lust. These scenes are often full of obscene references.
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A versatile master
Steen was versed in all genres and painted biblical and mythological subjects, historical events, allegories, genre scenes, portraits and landscapes. Only still lifes by him are not known; however, many of his paintings feature still life-like details, and so clearly he could do that as well.
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The most Steens
Of all the museums in the world, the Rijksmuseum has the most paintings by Steen, 22 in all.
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Famous paintings
The Feast of St Nicholas in the Rijksmuseum is one of Jan Steen's most famous paintings.